Furniture headboards and footboards

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a bedstead board having at least one recess near a first or a second side. The at least one recess is configured to removably receive a roller of a patient transport system. In use, two bedstead boards are connected to a bed frame. Each of the two bedstead boards includes at least one recess, with the at least two recesses aligning to receive a roller of the patient transport system to be parallel to a longitudinal axis of the bed. Preferably, the at least one recess is tilted from vertical such that the roller will not tend to dislodge from the at least one recess during use.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/450,293, filed Feb. 27, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to bedstead boards (i.e., a headboard andfootboard), and more particularly, to a headboard and footboard for apatient bed which cooperate with a patient transport system fortransferring an immobile patient from the bed to a stretcher or viceversa.

[0004] 2. Description of Related Art

[0005] It appears to be widely accepted that a major, if not the major,work-related complaint among nurses and hospital nursing staff is backinjuries caused by lifting patients and getting them in and out of a bedand to and from a gurney or a stretcher as it is commonly referred to. Asurvey of existing practices and techniques suggests that there is nowidely adopted simple and safe method of transferring patients from abed to a stretcher, or vice versa, without lifting them. There arehoist-type lifts where the patient is suspended in a sling. The slingmust be first manipulated under the patient and then the patient must bephysically lifted, changing the shape of the body and applying pressuresdifferent from those existing on the patient when lying prone in bed.There are also roller boards which are inserted partially under thepatient and then the patient is pulled onto the roller board. Again, thepatient must be manipulated to allow the board to be inserted and thenthe body is pulled onto the board. In the end, the patient ends up onthe board, not on the stretcher or the bed. An additional disadvantageof the roller board is that either the patient must cooperate with thetransferrer or more than one transferrer is required to effect thetransfer. Patients have also been known to drop off the roller boardsand to land on the floor between the bed and the stretcher.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,339, which is hereby incorporated byreference, solves this age-old problem of transferring patients from abed or a stretcher and vice versa. U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,339 discloses anapparatus for transporting a patient and includes a base, a patientsupporting member attached to the base, a conveyor attached to the base,and a removable sheet. The sheet has a first end and a second end wherethe sheet first end is removably attached to the conveyor and the sheetsecond end is free. The sheet is adapted to be positioned on the patientsupporting member, such as a mattress. In operation, an end of thesheet, which is attached to the conveyor, is rotated around a rollerthereby moving the patient from the bed to a stretcher or vice versa.

[0007] However, the conveyor disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,339requires that the roller remain affixed to the bed or stretcher, or thecomplete conveyor be removed from the bed or stretcher. This results ina problem of storing the conveyor in a hospital room and transportingthe conveyor when it is not attached to the bed or stretcher.

[0008] Further, typically, hospital beds vary in length and, in manycases, can be adjusted so that their lengths vary. In this case, aconveyor, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,339, may beinoperative if the length of the roller is different from that of thebed. Further, if the length of the bed is varied during operation, thensuch a fixed length roller could affect the operation of the bed.

[0009] The problems associated with the invention of U.S. Pat. No.5,819,339 were solved by the inventions disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,697,109; 6,289,533; 5,996,144; and 6,507,963, which are herebyincorporated by reference. Namely, these patient transport systemsaccommodate various bed lengths with one conveying apparatus byproviding a roller adjustable in length that can be easily engaged withand removed from a bed or stretcher through attachment (or clamping)assemblies. However, the attachment assemblies of these inventions canbe cumbersome and difficult to use. Additionally, a bed or stretcher mayhave a geometry not conducive to accepting the attachment assembly.Furthermore, the various parts of the attachment assembly increase thecost of the patient transport system.

[0010] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide apatient bed that accommodates (i.e., removably receives) a conveyortypical of a patient transport system as described above, namely, apatient transport system that allows a patient, while lying in a proneposition and completely immobile, to be moved, by one person ofrelatively low strength, safely from the patient bed to a stretcher andvice versa.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A bedstead board for a bed includes at least one recess near afirst or a second side. The at least one recess is configured toremovably receive a roller of a patient transport system. In use, twobedstead boards are connected to a bed frame. Each of the two bedsteadboards includes at least one recess, with the at least two recessesaligning to receive a roller of the patient transport system to beparallel to a longitudinal axis of the bed. Preferably, the at least onerecess is tilted from vertical such that the roller will not tend todislodge from the at least one recess during use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012]FIG. 1 is perspective view illustration of a bedstead board (i.e.,a headboard or a footboard) according to the present invention;

[0013]FIG. 2 is a front view illustration of the bedstead board shown inFIG. 1;

[0014]FIG. 3 is another front view illustration of the bedstead boardshown in FIG. 1;

[0015]FIG. 4 is a copy of a perspective view of a bed including a pairof bedstead boards according to the present invention and a conveyor ofa patient transport system;

[0016]FIG. 5 is a copy of a perspective view of a partial back view ofthe bed shown in FIG. 4.

[0017]FIG. 6 is a front view of a second embodiment of the bedstead inaccordance with the subject invention;

[0018]FIG. 7 is a front view of a third embodiment of a portion of thebedstead in accordance with the subject invention; and

[0019]FIG. 8 is a back view of a portion of the bedstead shown in FIG.7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] A complete understanding of the invention will be obtained fromthe following description when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing Figures, wherein like reference characters identify like partsthroughout.

[0021] For purposes of the description hereinafter, the terms “upper”,“lower”, “right”, “left”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, andderivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as it is oriented inthe drawing Figures. However, it is to be understood that the inventionmay assume various alternative variations and step sequences, exceptwhere expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understoodthat the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attacheddrawings, and described in the following specification, are simplyexemplary embodiments of the invention. Hence, specific dimensions andother physical characteristics related to the embodiments disclosedherein are not to be considered as limiting.

[0022] Referring to FIGS. 1-5, the present invention is a bedstead board10 for a bed 12 (FIGS. 4, 5). Briefly directing attention to FIGS. 4 and5, the bedstead board 10 is configured to attach to a frame 14 of thebed 12. Preferably, in use, the two bedstead boards 10 are attached tothe frame 14, one at a head 16 of the frame 14 (a headboard) and anotherat a foot 18 of the frame 14 (a footboard).

[0023] The bedstead board 10 may be of any decorative or functionalshape, as desired, and has a width W (FIG. 1). For ease of illustration,it is assumed that the bedstead board 10 is generally rectangular. Thewidth W must be sufficient to support a conveyor 20 (FIGS. 4, 5) of apatient transport system 22 and the associated patient (not shown)during use of the system 22.

[0024] Directing attention to FIGS. 4 and 5, two bedstead boards 10, 10′include at least one recess 36, 36′ aligned to receive the rollers 38,38′ of the conveyor 20 of the patient transport system 22 to be parallelto a longitudinal axis L of the system 22.

[0025] Directing attention to FIGS. 1-3, the bedstead board 10 includesa body 24 having a top 26 and an opposed bottom 28. The body 24 also hasa first side 30 and an opposed second side 32. The bedstead board alsoincludes at least one roller holder 34 configured to removably accept aroller 38 of the patient transport system 22.

[0026] The at least one roller holder 34 is preferably a recess 36configured to removably accept the roller 38 (FIGS. 4, 5). The at leastone recess 36 extends from the top 26 toward the bottom 28 (i.e., intothe body 24 of the bedstead board 10). The at least one recess 36 isspaced a distance D from either the first side 30 or the second side 32which side is referred to as the associated side. Preferably, thebedstead board 10 includes two recesses 36, one recess 36 spaced in fromthe first side 30 and another recess 36 spaced in from the second side32.

[0027] The at least one recess 36 is preferably U-shaped with an innerwall 40 and an outer wall 41 extending from a base 42. Tops 44 of thewalls 40, 41 distal the base 42 are preferably spaced further apart thanbottoms 46 of the walls 40, 41 proximate the base 42. Thus, thereceiving space 48 for receiving the roller 38 in the recess 36 islarger than the seating space 50 where the roller 38 will seat in therecess 36. This configuration requires less precise alignment whenplacing the roller 38 (FIGS. 4, 5) in the recess 36, thereby providingfor easier installation of the conveyor 20.

[0028] The at least one recess 36 includes a bearing surface 52. Thebearing surface 52 supports the roller 38 and provides a surface onwhich the roller 38 rotates. The bearing surface 52 is generallyC-shaped, accounting for the base 42 and portions of the two walls 40,41 of the U-shape, to accommodate the roller 38.

[0029] The inner wall 41 of the at least one recess 36 is preferablytilted at an angle X from a vertical axis Y such that the inner wall 41,as it extends upwardly from the base 42, extends outwardly toward thenearest of the first side 30 or the second side 32. When the conveyor 20is used to transport a patient to and from the bed 12, forces from thepatient and a sheet (i.e., a bed sheet) upon which the patient is lyingact upon the roller 38 and transfer to the at least one recess 36.Essentially, the forces will tend to pull the roller 38 toward thepatient, or, put another way, away from the nearest of the first side 30or the second side 32. Thus, the angle a of the tilt of the at least onerecess 36 aids in inhibiting the roller 38 from dislodging from the atleast one recess 36 during use.

[0030] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the angle X of the inner wall 40 isapproximately 10 degrees. Depending upon the forces acting to pull theroller 38, the angle X may be increased. FIG. 6 illustrates bedsteadboard 110 having a recess 136 with an inner wall 140 at an angle X witha vertical axis Y of about 60 degrees. Therefore, the recess 36, 136 mayhave an inner wall 40, 140 with an angle X that is between approximately10-60 degrees.

[0031] In another embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the bedsteadboard 210 may have a recess 236, similar to those recesses previouslydescribed but further including a clip 250 having a resilient section252 with opposing legs 254, 256 wherein at least one of the legs 254,256 is resiliently movable from the other leg. The legs 254, 256 definea gap 258 which in a relaxed position has a width less than the width ofa roller 38 (FIG. 5) and in an expanded position has a width equal to orgreater than the width of the roller 38 such that the roller 38 may besnapped into and held within the recess 236. The clip 250 may be securedto the bedstead board 210 by bolts 240. The clip 250 may be made fromplastic, steel or any other structural material that provides sufficientresilient stiffness to retain the roller 38 under operating conditions.When the clip 250 is utilized, the angle X between the inner wall 240 ofthe recess 236 and the vertical axis Y is not as significant and may beselected in view of the retention that will be offered by the clip 250.

[0032] The clip 250 may have a base 258 upon which the roller 38 mayrest.

[0033] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that while theforegoing description sets forth in detail preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, modifications, additions, and changes might be madethereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A bedstead board for a bed, comprising: a) a body having a top, abottom opposed to the top, a first side, and a second side opposed thefirst side; and b) a recess extending from the top, associated with andspaced a distance from either the first side or the second side, andconfigured to removably receive a roller associated with a conveyor of apatient transport system.
 2. The bedstead board in accordance with claim1, wherein the recess has an outer wall and an inner wall, wherein theinner wall is farther from the associated side than the outer wall, andwherein the inner wall is a greater distance away from the associatedwall at the bottom of the body than at the top of the body.
 3. Thebedstead board in accordance with claim 2, wherein the inner wall isangled relative to a vertical axis and forms an angle with the verticalaxis of between approximately 10-60 degrees.
 4. The bedstead board inaccordance with claim 1, further including a clip mounted within therecess, wherein the clip has a resilient section with opposing legs thatdefines a gap therebetween, wherein at least one of the legs isresiliently movable from the other leg to expand the gap as the rollerenters the clip and to contract to resiliently retain the rollertherein.
 5. The bedstead board in accordance with claim 4, wherein theclip is in the shape of a “C”.
 6. The bedstead board in accordance withclaim 4, wherein the clip is made of plastic.
 7. The bedstead boardaccording to claim 1, wherein there is a recess one each side of thebedstead board.
 8. A method for using a bedstead board attached to abed, comprising the step of positioning a roller of a patient transportsystem in at least one recess of the bedstead board, wherein the recessis spaced a distance from a side of the board and wherein the roller isretained within the recess sufficiently to withstand forces acting uponthe roller.
 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the recess isangled such that the force acting upon a roller tends to urge the rollerfurther into the recess.
 10. The method according to claim 8, whereinthe recess further includes a clip that resiliently retains the rollerwithin the recess.